Episode Twenty Two
by SevenOverThree
Summary: In another universe, Lieutenant Ross was unable to get to Ed, forced to watch as the boy absorbed the Red Water Around him. Weeks after the incident, Ed is nearly comatose in status, and during a ride to Central, the two boys encounter Envy... Rewrite
1. Prologue: End Result

**Disclaimer:** Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. Erhard, Sibylle, and Alina are mine, though.

**Authors Notes:** I realize that everyone that reviewed the original version of this story probably hate me for abandoning it, but upon realizing how... well, how rushed and badly written it was, I lost interest in it.

However, upon the discovery of FMA: Brotherhood, the new series, I was immediately reminded of this story, and a bit of inspiration came to me.

So, I've decided to re-write it, and with my newly honed writing and grammatical skills -along with OpenOffice and a _very_ handy spell-checker- , I can assure you that it will be written much better.

I hope you all enjoy this new version!

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His eyes were spiritless and almost unaware; no spark emanated from the two twin golden orbs like it used to. Instead, he only stared ahead at whatever happened to stray in front of him. He couldn't stand, so he was accompanied by a wheelchair and his younger, yet taller brother wherever he went. It had been a few weeks since the accident at lab five and nobody knew, still, if the amount of Red Water Ed had absorbed had had any adverse effects on him, apart from making him how he was now. They had heard that any one alchemist absorbing that much Red Water would turn him or her into a god -or god-like-, but the blond-haired boy had shown no evidence of being such.

After everything had happened, Al and Ed had been taken to the hospital, and despite everything the doctors did, nobody could figure out how to bring Ed back to normal. Now, the two were located in Resembool, living with their childhood friend Winry Rockbell. Winry had been terribly saddened at hearing about what had happened to the young alchemist, so had decided to, along with Alphonse, take care of the golden-haired boy.

Today Alphonse had planned on taking Ed back to Central, to visit all their friends at Eastern Command. It had been a few weeks since they'd left, and Al had realized that they'd sent not one letter since. He had felt guilty, so instead of just sending a letter, he'd figured that not only would it be some sort of relief for their friends there, giving them proof that the both of them were alright -for the most part- but he'd also been hoping that seeing everyone might be beneficial for Ed, who had only seen Winry, Den and Pinako since his accident, as he'd been unconscious from the incident up to their arrival in Resembool.

As per usual, his brother was located outside, sitting in his wheelchair on the porch, watching as Den chased birds around on the lawn. Though his head barely moved, the child's eyes never left the dog as it ran. It had taken Al a while to notice that, despite that he moved little, he was always watching them, watching what they did and where they went. 

"Are you ready, brother?" Alphonse asked the blond alchemist as he walked outside. Al didn't expect a response. It wasn't very often that Ed ever really replied to people. The last time Ed had spoken was during supper about five days ago. Winry had, for a sort of experiment, given Ed milk instead of water, and tried to get him to drink it in the hopes that either his current state would deny him the ability to fight back and he would finally get some much-needed calcium in his body, or he would regain his old self and snap at her for attempting to feed him the hated liquid.  
In the end, he hadn't really done what she'd been hoping for, but he _had _turned his head away and said '_Hate milk_'. However, the simple action had still sent Winry into tears of joy.

Carefully, Al lifted the boy's wheelchair up, taking it off the porch, placing it down again on the grass and rolling it down the road. Some people waved as the pair passed by, others just looking up at them in pity. Though most didn't know what had happened to the young alchemist, they all sympathized. A good number of them knew what Ed used to be like; hard-headed and snapping at any reference to his height. Now, though, anyone could make a crack about his size, and he wouldn't make any move saying he'd even registered the comment. Once, though, he had smiled at one of Winry's friends, a woman named Alina who bore a slight resemblance to their deceased mother.

"Everyone is going to be happy to see us again, brother." Al said as they entered the Station. " I feel guilty for not sending them a letter though." Ed's eyes took in the sight of the oddly busy terminal, his gaze moving over the people, the ticket booths, and the trains. The edge of his mouth twitched, and he chuckled breathlessly before withdrawing into his mind again.  
Al, not noticing the action, walked them over to one of the booths, sliding some money to the ticket-master.

"Two for Central, please." As the man handed them the tickets, Ed, as best he could, turned his gaze to Al.

"...Roy?" Surprised, the soul-infused armor turned to look at his brother.

"Yeah. We're going to visit Roy, and the others. D'you think he'll be happy to see us?" But the boy didn't respond, and Al sighed lightly as he helped his brother onto the train.

It had been weeks, and still Ed was as silent as the day he'd woken up.

0o0o0o0

Several hours later found the two boys sharing a compartment with an older man with short brown hair. The man had asked if he could share their compartment, as it was one of few that was not yet full. Glad for his company, Al had allowed the man in, and they'd been talking since.

"It's strange to see a train from Resembool this full. Normally theres tons of space." The man, whom had named himself Erhard, nodded while chuckling.

"Yeah. Normally trains from here to _anywhere_ are pretty empty. Wonder what's going on." He glanced over at Al's sleeping brother. "How can yer brother sleep on a train like this? It's as comfortable as a scorpion nest!" Al laughed.

"Ed can sleep anywhere."

"Sounds like my cousin Sibylle! I swear, the girl can take a nap in an avalanche." Erhard laughed, grinning at the sleeping boy. "You might be able to teach each other some stuff, kid." But his grin soon fell. "When you came in here, he looked near comatose... Sumthin' happen?" Al shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't sure he should tell this man that Ed had been in an accident with Red Water. However, Erhard noticed Al's reaction and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Don't have to tell me if'n you don't want to."

"No, it's alright. Ed was in an accident. An alchemy experiment... backfired on him." Al said. That wasn't too much of a lie, was it? Erhard frowned.

"It wasn't too serious, was it?" Al shook his head.

"We're not sure. The doctors said that he's in perfect health, and we know his personality is still there... It's just as if... as if _he_ isn't." Al looked at his brother, speaking quietly as he realized something. "It's as if his mind is somewhere else entirely..." A series of thuds brought Al out of his thoughts, and he looked up.

The ceiling was dented.

"What the hell..?" Erhard muttered. Al took in a breath. Someone was on the roof. Someone strong was hammering at the roof. And there were very few people who Al knew of that wanted to get their hands on his brother.  
And then, the metal ceiling gave way, blinding the two males as they tried to see their attacker.

"Okay, you hand over the pipsqueak, and I let you live."


	2. Capture

**Disclaimer:** Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. Erhard, Sibylle, and Alina are mine, though.

**Authors Notes:** Chapter two. I knew that the biggest problem of this chapter was the introduction of Envy, and the subsequent fight between Envy and Al, so I concentrated mostly on that. I also hope that Envy isn't too out of character; I find him a hard character to grasp right.

Also, I apologize for how short these chapters are. A lot of what made the original version longer had to be taken out, as it was mostly pointless and not needed; such as the scene where Envy runs past Roy Mustang while disguised as Edward.

I hope it's not a problem.

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"I believe we weren't finished, _Elric brothers_. Fullmetal still owes us a Philosopher's stone." The person jumped down from the roof and into the compartment, grinning sharply as Al finally realized who it was; dark violet eyes, long green hair and an evil grin on his face.  
It was Envy.

Al gasped, moving so he stood between the sleeping alchemist and his pursuer. If Envy had chased them here, it was most likely he intended to take Ed and force him once more to try and create a stone.

Envy chuckled, looking around the armor at Ed. His grin faded when he noticed that, somehow, Edward was still asleep.

"Don't you touch him!" Alphonse yelled out, moving into a fighting position. A strange smile passed across the sin's face, and he fell onto one of the seats, crossing his arms behind his head as he gazed over at the brothers.

"I wouldn't bother fighting, Armor boy." Alphonse's eyes narrowed, but he didn't move.

"Why?" Envy chuckled again, gesturing at the tiny compartment that now had little moving space.

"D'you _really_ think we could have a fight in _here_?" He sighed lightly, sitting up and grinning when he saw the confusion flooding Al's eyes. "Besides, you're no challenge. I want to fight the pipsqueak, not you." He stood again, looking past Al and at Ed, who was still sleeping. And how come he hasn't woken up yet?! I was sure that smashing the roof open would give him a surprise. Hell, I figured I'd gain more attention then... nothin' at all." Still standing between his brother and the Sin, Al looked back at Ed. Would it hurt to tell him?

"He... got hurt." Envy looked at the elder Elric in surprise.

"Hurt? I know he did. But it doesn't tell me why he's still sleeping, Armor-boy." Al sighed. It was very disconcerting having Envy less than a meter away from him and not trying to kill them. But as the Sin had said, there was no way they could fight in here. It looked as though Envy would only fight them once they got off the train, or when he got bored of talking. Al glanced over at Erhard. He had fallen unconscious. That would make talking with Envy a little easier. He wouldn't have to dance around specifying anything.

"You_ know_ what happened. Back at Lab Five when Ed tried to escape, he stepped in the Red Water. We couldn't get him out, and he absorbed it all." Envy smiled curiously, taking a step towards the boy.

"_Wait_... So Chibi here sucked up _all_ that Stone material?" Al stepped closer to his brother, raising his fists a little more. All this small talk _had_ to be a distraction.

"What was on the floor. Everything still in the tanks was left alone." Envy chuckled, then began to laugh. "What's so funny?!" Al exclaimed.

"This! This scenario!" He grinned sharply again, closing his hands into fists as the train slowed down. "Fullmetal is pumped full of stone material. Just think of what his alchemy could do, now." A thought crossed the sins mind. "_We might not even need a stone anymore..._" He whispered. Al gasped, and immediately raised his arms up to block the Sin's attack. The hit made Al stumble backwards, and he immediately thought of Ed getting crushed. He turned around, and regretted it at once. Envy had kicked his side, sending his tumbling into the door. Before he had time to get back up again, Envy was at his brother, holding a blade morphed from his hand to the elder Elric's throat.

"You move, and he dies." He stepped towards the compartments window, Edward held awkwardly in his arms. "My orders may have been to bring him back, but I have absolutely no problem killing him." Al stood still. He may not have wanted Envy to get his hands on Ed, but he certainly preferred captured over dead. "Theres a good boy. I see you trying to follow me and..." Envy dragged his arm-sword over the boys throat, but made sure not to cut him. The train stopped completely, and both Al and the violet-eyed Sin could see Central Station beyond the fogged window. Voices could be heard outside, whispering in confusion at the hole in one of the train cars roofs.  
Envy smashed his arm through the window, shattering it and causing some screams as he jumped out, taking off down the streets of the city, Al watching furiously as the Sin was let go. He knew Envy would hold true the promise of death to his brother if he tried to get Ed back. His only options were to try and find Ed after Envy brought the Alchemist to their hideout, or hope that Ed managed to recover enough while in their captivity to escape on his own.

And to be honest, he was beginning to doubt that would happen.

**0o0o0o0**

Envy hadn't stopped running since he'd left the station. He'd looked behind himself a few times, and had been honestly disappointed when no sign of Alphonse could be found. The kid had just let him go, had understood and accepted Envy's threat.

How boring.

Heaved over his left shoulder, Edward was making no attempts to escape. So, either the kid was in some crazy sort of sleep-coma, or what Al had said had more to it. The red water must have affected the brats mind.

"How troublesome. We finally get you easily, and you can't move for yourself." The Homunculus shivered, gazing at his prisoner as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop. He half expected the kid to spring a trap, getting out of his captivity with ease. "Damn you." He muttered to the catatonic boy on his shoulder. "Damn you to hell." The kid wasn't even fully conscious and was effectively making the Sin paranoid.

He stopped, dropping the teen onto the flat rooftop and staring at him. The kid was like a rag-doll, not even moving into a more comfortable position.

"...Al?..." Envy jumped, kneeling down and staring at the alchemist. Had he spoken? "Al...?" Yes, the brat_ had_ spoken. He evidently had realized that something had happened, and was asking for his brother, trying to get the attention of the elsewhere boy.  
Envy grinned, seeing an opportunity. His form rippled and changed, becoming larger and more metallic.

"Brother? I'm right here. But I need you to do something for me..."


End file.
